Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are a seasonal twist on a classic cookie! Full of dark chocolate and peppermint, these chocolate cookies strike a beautiful balance and melt in your mouth! These beautiful peppermint chocolate crinkles are bound to be loved! Makes 45 cookies.
Happy Tuesday, y’all!
Have you been following along with all the awesome Sweetest Season cookies? It’s been amazing to see so many bloggers join in on the fun and support Cookies for Kids’ Cancer with this year’s Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange.
I hope y’all are enjoying this as much as I am, as well as getting lots of ideas for this season.
Because, well, you know, cookies during the holidays are a must-have. 🙂
Why I love this recipe:
These Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are like the Chocolate Crinkle Cookies I grew up with, something I came to expect every December.
This recipe, obviously, is an adaptation of the tried and true favorite, with the addition of PEPPERMINT!
This recipe gets double the peppermint flavor from pure peppermint extract, as well as crushed peppermint pieces.
Honestly, dark chocolate and peppermint is one of my favorite pairings in a dessert, and these cookies are beautifully balanced. The peppermint doesn’t overwhelm the chocolate, but it doesn’t get lost, either.
And I have a feeling these beauties are going to be requested at my home for a loooooooong time. They were that popular. And they didn’t last long at all.
More festive treats and cookie recipes to try this holiday season: Potato Chip Cookies | Chex Mix Puppy Chow | Cranberry Crumb Bars | Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies | Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge | Christmas Funfetti Cookies
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl
- Sheet pan
- Nonstick baking mat
- Cookie scoop
- Wire rack for cooling
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you need to grab from the grocery store:
- Unsalted butter — normally, we’d want the butter to be softened to make cookies, but we’re melting this with the bittersweet chocolate.
- Granulated sugar — also known as white sugar, this is the sweetener for our cookies. There is no substitute.
- Peppermint extract — or Peppermint Vodka if you’re feeling fancy and have that lying around.
- Vanilla extract — if you can afford it, the real deal kind is where it’s at!
- Unsweetened chocolate — I really like Guittard baking chocolate bars for this, but you can use another brand if you want. Just make sure it’s unsweetened since we have sugar already in our dough. This is not unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Eggs — these help the cookie batter come together. I use large eggs from the grocery store. We want them at room temperature, so set them out with the butter to come to temp.
- All-purpose flour — we keep unbleached AP flour in our house, but the regular kind works, too. We have not attempted to make this recipe with gluten free flours or other substitutes.
- Baking powder — this is our leavener. Make sure yours is fresh.
- Kosher salt — I like to use a medium-grain kosher salt. You could use the same size of a sea salt, too.
- Candy canes or peppermint candies — you can crush them yourself or you can purchase peppermint pieces in a bag, too.
- Powdered sugar — also known as confectioner’s sugar, this is the sugar of choice for rolling the crinkle cookies in. There is no substitute.
How to make Chocolate Peppermint Crinkles
Cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) in a large bowl until light yellow. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
Add the peppermint extract, vanilla extract and eggs to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix until blended. This will take about 1-2 minutes.
Pour in the milk, as well as the cooled, melted chocolate. Stir until mixture is an even light brown and is fully incorporated.
In another glass bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Fold the crushed candy canes or peppermints into the batter with a rubber spatula.
Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for AT LEAST an hour.
Pro tip!
If the dough chills for a day or more, you might need to let it sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes before baking, as it might be too solid to easily roll.
How to bake the cookies:
Once the cookies have chilled for at least an hour, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat, then set aside.
Measure the powdered sugar in a wide bowl. You will use this bowl for rolling the cookies in the powdered sugar, so you want it to have enough space.
Using a cookie scooper and your hands, shape the dough into 1” cookie dough balls.
Roll in the powdered sugar until completely coated, then transfer to the prepared sheet pan.
Once all the dough has been rolled, bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until the cookies have firmed up and are set.
Cool on a cooling rack, then enjoy with a glass of milk!
How to store:
Once completely cooled, place in an airtight container. Keep on the countertop for up to a week.
Do not store with other cookies, as this will keep their flavors the best and truest.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
These cookies make the best Christmas cookies because they are so festive throughout the holiday season, whether you make them for a special gathering or just because.
I personally love these Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies and making them with kids. They’re fun to bake and also a more unique treat to share with friends and family.
Here are some tips and tricks to making the best crinkle cookies for any type of gathering:
- Bake the cookies in advance. These cookies are delicious at room temperature, so bake them early and don’t fret!
- Double or triple the recipe for a crowd,. You can always send friends home with extra cookies if you don’t want them in your house.
- Serve them a cookie exchange. You could also serve them as a little sweet treat at a cookie decorating party or as a chocolate bite in a cookie tin or a cookie platter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! These cookies freeze like a dream. Let them cool completely before sealing in an airtight freezer bag (or a vacuum-sealed bag). Freeze for up to 3 months.
You can also freeze the cookie dough before rolling in the confectioners’ sugar and bake from frozen after rolling it in the sugar.
The chill helps the crinkles. If your dough is too warm, it will spread too quickly and the texture will be lost. Also, if you work the dough in your hands for too long, the same result will happen.
You might have measured the ingredients incorrectly or your dough might be too warm.
Quick tips and tricks for making the best Peppermint Chocolate Crinkles
- Let the cookie dough chill. This allows the flour a chance to hydrate. Chilled cookie dough leads to fluffier cookies that spread less and also helps the texture.
- Use a cookie scoop. Your cookies will be a more uniform size, and your hands will be less messy. Also, you can work more quickly since this cookie dough is sticky.
- How to store: Once completely cooled, place in an airtight container. Keep on the countertop for up to a week. Do not store with other cookies because the peppermint will bleed into those other flavors.
More peppermint chocolate cookie recipes:
Intrigued about making a peppermint chocolate cookie this holiday season?
Scroll on down to learn how easy these beauties are to make at home!
Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (1 stick / 113g)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 300g
- 2 eggs ~100g
- 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate melted and slightly cooled
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 330g
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 10g
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt 3g
- ½ cup peppermints or candy canes crushed
- 1 cup powdered sugar 125g
Equipment
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Instructions
Make the Dough
- Cream the butter and sugar together with a hand mixer (or a stand mixer) in a large bowl until light yellow, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the peppermint extract, vanilla extract and eggs to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix until blended, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the milk, as well as the cooled, melted chocolate and stir until mixture is an even light brown.
- In another glass bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk until combined.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing with the hand mixer until just mixed through.
- Fold the crushed peppermints/candy canes into the batter with a rubber spatula.
- Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for AT LEAST an hour. (If the dough sits for a day or more, you might need to let it sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes before baking, as it might be too solid to easily roll.)
Bake the Cookies
- Once the cookies have chilled for at least an hour, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat, then set aside.
- Measure out the powdered sugar in a wide bowl.
- Using a cookie scooper and your hands, shape the dough into 1” balls. (I use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop.)
- Roll in the powdered sugar until covered, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Give the cookies about 2" from each other so they can spread in the oven as they bake.
- Once all the dough has been rolled, bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until the cookies have firmed up and are set.
- Cool on a cooling rack, then enjoy with a glass of milk!
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
I have always loved crinkle cookies, they are so pretty!
These really do sound like a melt in your mouth kind of cookie! Love the addition of peppermint pieces! Pinning for later!!
Anything peppermint rates high in my book! These are so cute and pretty!
I am always intrigued by the peppermint flavor combined with the chocolate and these cookies look so delicious and pretty!!
My mom always made chocolate crinkle cookies when I was growing up. They were some of my favorites! I love the idea of adding peppermint for the holidays.
Confession: I’ve never actually had crinkle cookies before. But I love the gorgeous black and white contrast -they always look so stunning. What a great holiday flavor twist with the peppermint!
These cookies look so yummy!!! Chocolate and Peppermint!! What a perfect combination!!!
It’s so awesome that you are working to make a positive difference in the world! I love that you are doing that! And I love these cookies! Chocolate and peppermint is my all-time favorite flavor combo!
These cookies look delicious. Can’t wait to make them.
Thanks so much, Jason! We thoroughly enjoyed these cookies, and we hope you like them, too! Happy baking. 🙂